Wanderlust : cool hotels in Japan

At some point, I thought we were going to go back to Japan this year, but work got a bit in the way, and now with our project of building a house I can’t really say if we will find the budget to go in the near future. We’ll see! What’s sure is that Japan is always on my mind, and I’m always dreaming our next adventure(s) there. One of the most challenging thing when planning a trip to Japan is to find cool accommodation. I’ve talked about it here before, but from a foreigner’s point of view it sometimes looks like you have business hotels on one side and traditional ryokans on the other and not much else. It’s just quite hard to find good information in english about what’s going on outside of Tokyo. That’s why I felt this would probably be handy to compile here a list of cool places to stay, to complement the ones I’ve actually been to, like BeniyaMukayu, JR Hotel Yakushimaor Claska.

The Share Hotels, Hatchi, Kanazawa

I really have a soft spot for Kanazawa and I would love to return and stay in this freshly opened place. They offer an elegant take on the hostel concept as well as nice, functional classic rooms. What really looks promising though, is the energy they devote to promoting local culture and interactions, a rare and precious opportunity in Japan! This would be a good way to find out more about this great area and experience a new generation of accomodation in Japan.

Lamp no Yado, Kuroishi

In a much less reasonable category there is this incredible hotel and onsen at the edge of the Noto peninsula, and when I say at the edge, I literally mean cliff side. I deliberately chose the winter pictures since I feel they are really making the setting look incredible. It’s the wilder, rougher side of Japan, the one with sacred waters, fog and lanterns. You will probably need a car to get there, but come on, this is worth the trip.

Hotel Holiday Home, Kyotango

So, I don’t want to sound presomptuous, but this looks a lot like heaven to me. It has all those Japanese things that make me sigh in adoration, this sort of fabulous coziness, the gracious details, the wooden furniture, the gorgeous food (it actually looks good and not scary weird, a good point if you ask me). I feel like I could move there…permanently. In the meantime I follow their instagram.

Hostel 64, Osaka

I loved Osaka‘s cool vibe, and I feel Hostel 64 is a good reflection of it. Just like The Share Hostels Hatchi, this one is a stylish take on the youth hotel, with both private rooms and dormitaries to rent. The decor here is more vintage, much like what you can see at D&Department store in the Minami neighborhood.

Koyasan guest house, Koyasan

Mount Koya is one of Japan’s most sacred and most famous places, and I haven’t been there yet but I’ve heard there’s no denying the magic of the place. This hotel seems like an excellent demonstration of how Japanese can produce minimalistic, elegant design that’s also affordable (prices are starting at 30$ a night). It’s owned by a couple, the husband is the son of a Buddhist monk and a DJ in Osaka (I’m very serious) while the wife has a passion for cooking, pottery and flower arrangements. Only in Japan, right? I find the cohabitation between modern design and such an ageless place quite intriguing.

Onomichi U2, Onomichi

I tend to like it when hotels are part of a bigger initiative that involves other shops and restaurants (like at Claska in Tokyo), and this one looks like a very nice place to hang out. Its concept revolves around this idea that it is bike friendly (with even a repair shop in the building), but I suspect I would be more interested in the bakery and gift shop… It’s housed in a repurposed warehouse in Onomichi, a coastal town on the Inland Sea (which means I’m sold already), and which probably means that it is a good home base for biking trips to the smaller islands.

Kamikoya Washi, Yusuhara

This one sounds pretty special. You’ll be able to stay in the home of a washi master (and learn a bit, or a lot about it, depending on what you’re looking for), Rogier Uitenboogaart, a Netherlander who came to Japan many years ago, married a Japanese woman and settled in this Shikoku haven. Their organic food is apparently splendid, and the whole experience looks quite fantastic, I would be very curious to meet them and see their daily life…

Jiji no ie, Isumi

This one is probably the closest thing to what we call agritourism. Owners are vegetarian cookbook author Deco Nakajima and American photographer Everett Kennedy Brown. The idea behind the place is to be able to experience Japanese country living and the macrobiotic cuisine of Deco. As for the area itself, it’s apparently considered the Provence of Japan (didn’t know there was such a thing) with an abundance of organic farms and beautiful scenery.

Tsurunoyu, Semboku

Seeing Japan under the snow looks pretty fascinating (and cold, yeah, wooden houses and paper walls aren’t too reassuring I must admit), and the onsens in the mountainous areas always seem quite impressive. This one is straight out of an old tale… (pictures from tripout.jp)